Description

The Pre-Columbian Andes has a rich metallurgical tradition that was distinct from that of Europe. Instead of using metal primarily for tools and weapons, Andean metal workers focused on ornaments, vessels, and other items that were often ritually important and markers of high status. They paid particular attention to the colour and lustre of objects, often experimenting with different kinds of bronze alloys after 600 AD. This bowl, however, is likely made from just copper and could date to earlier in the first millienium AD. In some cases, bowls of different kinds of metal were paired when used in ceremonies and deposited in tombs.